DA 2010 Episode 26: Not Saying Any Adieus
by AngelExposed
Summary: Remy is noticing that his relationship with Rogue is strained. With time running out for him to break up with Rogue, he begins to stress, but during a fight, a comment from Monet leaves him with the possible answer to everything - but what will Rogue's r
1. Chapter 1: The Engagement Party

Authors Note: I just want to say how thankful I am to Alex (Aro) who wrote (painfully) Hank McCoy's speech in the opening of the story. Luv ya!!!

Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 26

Chapter 1: The Engagement Party

"Good evening everyone. It is my honour and privilege to deliver a speech to our happy couple. Jean, Scott, if I may so boldly declare - it's about time. Undoubtedly, I see a magnificent future that awaits Mr. And Mrs. Summers."

Jean Grey and Scott Summers glanced towards each other with a loving smile, then back to Hank McCoy, who was giving the speech at their engagement party.

"When I see the both of you together, I see a whole. Through your feeble arguments, your whole might have separated but it always came back together. That is because no one else will fit your destined piece. That, my friends, is what I call fate. My complete confidence resides in your blossoming life committed relationship. I congratulate you on your much awaited for wedding-and remember here are many things that go into making a marriage happy: love and fidelity of course, innate trust, the security of having someone who will always listen, and to unlock the secrets of tenacity, stamina, forgiveness, or failing that defective memory. In the future, there may be little bumps in the road, but that is life, and I know you both will survive and get through anything. This I know, as I have watched your budding nine-year bond from afar, witnessing the good moments and the bad-and seeing you both get through it together with your forever binding love. Jean and Scott: Here's to the past for all that it taught you . Here's to the present for all that you share. And here's to the future for all that you can look forward together."

Hank raised his glass after finishing his speech, and Remy LeBeau raised his champagne glass to the toast with the hundred and fifty other party guests. He had to hand it to Hank McCoy. The man (or Beast if you preferred) could turn out a speech that would leave you speechless, yet constantly thinking about the meaning as you drowned your sorrows in champagne the rest of the night, which was what he intended to do.

Three weeks had passed more quickly than it felt they should have. Three weeks without further hitch. Something he was both thankful and unthankful for. It meant he had barely a week left until he would have to find a way to tell Rogue the relationship was over…but to find a way to do it without hurting her or without ruining chances for reconciliation.

No matter how much he had wracked his brains for a way to do this, no plan had come to him. There was no way to break up with her without ruining the relationship entirely. Their relationship was strained enough as it was. There had been nights when he'd been out with Rogue where he'd felt the relationship was barely hanging by a thread, and the thought left him quite uneasy.

He glanced over to Rogue who was smiling serenely, sipping on Champagne as she sat back in her chair. Her hair was pulled up in an elaborate combination of twists and curls, pinned up by sparkling butterfly shaped pins, he was sure it must have taken her all day to style her hair alone. She had a stunning grey satin dress on that accentuated her curves in all the right ways, and matching satin gloves that covered her arms completely. A silver chain dangling a crystal heart hung around her delicate throat, and it sparkled, catching the light of a mirrorball that hung in the centre of the ceiling of the hotel ballroom the engagement party was being held in.

Remy hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her all night, she was so beautiful that he almost found it difficult to breathe. They hadn't said much to each other all night, Rogue had been overwhelmed by an onslaught of old friends and colleagues from various other teams the X-Men were affiliated with, and Remy had found it increasingly hard to get her attention, so he'd given up for now, although begrudging every moment of it.

Remy took notice of Kitty was standing talking amongst Samuel Guthrie and Tabitha Smith. Kitty also looked extraordinarily beautiful, her short brown hair had been flicked outwards, and she was donning a pair of black flaring pinstriped pants and a simple white blouse.

"Why are you staring at her?" Rogue asked, she'd finally pulled herself away from a discussion with a man known as Peter, who Remy had never met nor heard of before.

"Is it just me or is she showing?" Remy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just you," Rogue replied, sipping her champagne.

"No, she definitely looks like a bump is starting to show."

"Pregnancies don't usually show until about five months," Rogue shrugged.

"Kitty is about three or four months pregnant, surely it can show then…I mean she's skinny, so it's liable too, isn't it…"

Rogue shrugged.

"She's gonna look like a beachball with legs and arms by the time she's ready to drop."

"What is this big deal with Kitty and her pregnancy?" Rogue asked, "why do you care so much, it's not like it's your baby…"

Remy shrugged, "just making conversation," he looked at Rogue, "who's that guy you were talking to?" he asked, gesturing towards the man who had now walked away and was standing by the bar.

"That's Peter Parker," Rogue said in a voice of awe, "you know about him, right?"

"Not really," Remy said, he cricked his neck.

"Spider-man," Rogue said, astonished he didn't know this, most people in the mutant world these days did.

"Good for him," Remy said, "wanna dance?" he asked, gesturing towards the dance floor. It wasn't the first time he'd asked. The first time she'd said she wanted to finish her drink, the second time she'd been involved in a conversation with Amara Aquila, and hadn't wanted to tear herself away.

"I'd rather not," Rogue said, "I'm wearing stilettos and they're hurting my feet."

"So don't wear any shoes, you think anyone is going to notice? No one can see your feet under that long dress anyway," Remy suggested.

"Maybe later," Rogue said, she took a sip of her champagne once again, "I'll be right back," she said, and she got up, limping away in her poorly fitting shoes towards the exit of the ballroom, presumably to the ladies room.

Kitty walked over, "Hey," she said brightly as she dropped into a seat at the table beside Remy, "How's it goin'?"

"Terrible," Remy uttered, "I can't help but think this whole night that Rogue has been avoiding talking to me. I know we've been okay this past three weeks, but sometimes it's like she really just doesn't want to spend time with me."

"Come on, Remy, half of the people here tonight we haven't seen in years, it's nice to talk to them again," Kitty smoothed out the front of her blouse.

"You're showing," Remy said.

"Hmmm?" Kitty blinked.

"Your pregnancy is showing…"

"Y'know, you're not the first one to say that to me tonight," Kitty admitted, "although, I think the way Bobby put it was that I looked like I was getting chubby…"

Remy made a face, "He's such an asschunk."

"Yeah," Kitty replied, "lately he has been…" she looked around, "where's Rogue?"

"Ladies room, presumably…" Remy glanced at his watch, it was after eleven, the party had been going on since seven pm, and yet, he and Rogue had barely spent twenty minutes talking since the start.

"I haven't seen you dance with her all night," Kitty confessed.

"That's because we haven't," Remy replied, "it's like I say, I could swear she was avoidin' bein' with me."

"Well, I'll dance, if you want," Kitty said, "but I can't guarantee you'll still remain attached to all ten of your toes afterwards."

"That's a sweet offer, but I'll be fine," Remy forced a smile, "hey, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure?" Kitty nodded.

Remy got up, "come with me…" he gestured towards the back door, of the hotel ballroom, it was more of a fire exit, but it had been left open for those who were smokers who weren't permitted to light up a cigarette inside the ballroom. The moment Remy got outside, he lit up a cigarette, but he moved away from Kitty, and pushed the door closed so they were completely out of earshot of the party.

Kitty made a face at him lighting up a cigarette, "c'mon, Remy, I'm PREGNANT, you can't smoke around me…"

"I'm not around you, I'm six feet away from you," Remy said. "Kitty, do you think Rogue has been actin' pretty strangely around me lately?"

"Strangely in what way?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like, she can't stand bein' around me…" Remy trailed off.

"That's bullshit, she loves you, Remy."

"Then why is it every time I go to hug her or something she moves away…"

Kitty fell silent, she had noticed this, only she didn't really want to admit it to Remy at all. Rogue had flinched from Remy several times when he'd went to touch her tenderly on the shoulder, Kitty had saw that during the last few weeks. Rogue would brush it off and say she either had to go, or that Remy had grease on his hands from working on that damned motorbike of his.

"It's not just me, is it, you see it too…" Remy said, looking at her.

"Remy, it's nothing, don't worry about it," Kitty said softly, "I'm going back inside, I don't want to be around your cigarette smoke," she said, she smiled, "see you inside."

Remy watched her enter back into the ballroom, and he sighed and took a long drag from his cigarette. He thought about Hank's speech. The words seemed to replay in his head, echoing. _Your whole might have separated but it always came back together. That is because no one else will fit your destined piece._

Remy knew what Hank meant, because he was almost sure this was what he felt with Rogue, as if she were his soul mate, and they were destined for each other only.

_If only me and Rogue had what Jean and Scott have_, he thought dully, he exhaled a cloud of smoke. _If only_.


	2. Chapter 2: Oh, it's a Surprise

Authors Note: where you see followed by a number at the end of a comment means it's a translation into French, if you scroll to the bottom of the page you'll find the translations into English. Translations were generously provided by Christelle Johnson.

Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 26

Chapter 2: Oh, it's a Surprise

That next morning, Remy woke up with a headache that he was sure might split his head open. He supposed perhaps he might have gotten a little carried away the night previous supping on expensive champagne, and then loading up on beer afterwards. But it had been a celebration, and no one had seemed to mind he had let himself become blindingly drunk.

He was not surprised to wake up in the couch of the student recreational room either (there were now two separate recreational rooms, one for students and one for instructors and adults inhabiting the mansion). The recreation room for the kids was one of the nearest rooms to the foyer – at least it was the nearest room with a couch in it.

He could only very vaguely remember staggering through the front door, yet he could vividly remember how good the cold leather of the couch had felt against his cheek as he collapsed down into it. Now, his face felt as if it were perhaps glued to the leather. He mumbled something incoherently – even he did not understand what it was – and he cracked an eye open. The light assailed his eyes like a laser beam, and he groaned as the area behind his eyes felt as if it tightened in response, he closed his eyes tightly to shut out the light, and he rolled over. He heard the loud 'thhhhhhhk' sound as his cheek and bare arm peeled free of the hot sticky leather.

"Perhaps, Mr LeBeau, it would be wise to curb your intake of alcohol at parties. You do know that so much alcohol in your blood can poison you, do you not?"

Remy sat up, rubbing his head, "morning to you too, Monet." He recognised her voice at once, not to mention that snobby over-intelligent tone she would use in situations such as this. He opened his eyes, the light still blinding him, and restricting his vision to an almost smoky light. "What time is it?" he yawned.

"Eleven thirty," Monet responded, once Remy had been able to focus his eyes he saw her sitting rather primly on the arm of the sofa, her long silken black hair fallen over her shoulder like a shawl of black satin. "Just what ARE you doing in the student recreational room?" she asked, she raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, and pursed her lips together tightly.

"It seemed like the best place to crash," Remy sighed, "aren't you meant to be somewhere proving you're better than everyone else…"

"Mr LeBeau, if I didn't know better, I'd swear you were trying to insult me," Monet smiled a little.

"But of course you know better than everyone, don't you," Remy stood and headed towards the door, "is Rogue up?" he asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Monet blinked, as if in surprise, but Remy knew this was a completely mock response.

"Don't play dumb with me, M. I know you can use those little powers of yours to sense if she's in the building."

"I haven't perfected them yet – I AM however confident within time with enough patience I can master them soon enough," Monet responded.

"Whatever. Can you just check for me. Like, right now?"

"Oh, I suppose," Monet rolled her eyes, then she closed them, putting her hand to her head, "Yes, she's awake – and I'm sensing some anger."

"No change there," Remy said sadly, and without even bidding her goodbye, or thank you, he left the room, and he'd barely entered the foyer, when he ran smack into Rogue, who was clutching several sheets of paper in her hand, her eyes were full of anger, and Remy suddenly felt that he'd done something wrong, and he wasn't sure what yet.

"What the fuck is this?!" she demanded, she held up one of the letters in front of his face.

"Hmmm?" Remy asked, he took the letter from her and examined it, "oh," he then added a second later. It was a debt letter, and it was addressed to her specifically. "It's a debt letter?" he shrugged, he knew what was coming. He'd been hoping this wouldn't be an issue, but apparently, it was going to be.

"I found it in YOUR room, you opened MY mail!"

Remy grimaced, "Well…Carol took your credit cards, and all your money…and eventually with her spending it had run up quite a lot of debt, and I knew you were under a lot of stress so I thought…I don't know, I'd try and prevent more stress by helping you with the financial dilemma – it was only eleven thousand dollars, it didn't seem worth bothering you with..."

"HELPING?!?!" Rogue threw the pieces of paper at him angrily, "You dropped money into my account!" she screamed, "two-hundred and fifty thousand DOLLARS!?!" she demanded, "two-hundred and fifty grand of tainted crime related MONEY!" she shoved him so hard that he fell backwards into a chair near the wall.

"I thought you'd be pleased, I didn't think money mattered to you…" he trailed off.

"It matters to me when you're nosing into my personal business – my debt or whatever it is happens to be MY affair. You had no business opening my mail!"

"I know but---hey, what were you doing in my room, ANYWAY?" he demanded suddenly. He'd hidden the letters under his mattress so that she wouldn't find them. It made him wonder now just exactly what she'd been doing looking there.

"My name is on the laundry rota," Rogue frowned, "which means taking your sheets for washing, because you never put them in the laundry chute!"  
Remy felt his head rattle every time she raised her voice, "So I took your debt letters and paid your debt…I don't see what the big deal is…" he sighed, rubbing his head.

"The big deal is that it was nothing to do with you, you had no right!" Rogue cried at him, "what did you think you were doing dropping that much money in my account?! Did you think you were buying my love?!"

"Of course I didn't," Remy replied trying to remain very calm.

"Faut-il vraiment que vous vous disputiez comme un vieux couple a chaque fois que vous en avez l'occasion?" came Monet St Croix's familiar voice, and both Remy and Rogue turned to see her approaching towards the foyer staircase. 1

"Monet…keep your nose out of this!" Rogue yelled.

"How can I, you're arguing in the foyer, it's not exactly a private discussion," Monet sauntered past Rogue and began her way up the stairs. "Rogue et vous beneficierez certainement de voir un conseiller de relations intimes, Mr LeBeau. Peut etre que vous devriez vous inscrire sur le programme televise du Dr Phil?" she gave a sickly sweet smile as she looked over her shoulder at them both, then she stopped in the middle of the stairs. 2

"Si ce n'etait pas pour la raison que Rogue ne comprenne pas le francais , je metterais en consideration l'idee de vous faire exploser la tete du fait que vous etes un becheur. Merci pour votre suggestion, mais est-ce que vous pouvez nous laissez  
seul maintenant?" Remy asked. 3

"Une derniere chose. Meme si vous avez raison, meme si ce que vous avez fait pour la rendre folle est justifie, admettez que vous avez eu tort..Avaler votre orgueil et prenez la responsabilite de vos actions," Monet said with a sigh. 4

"I don't know WHAT you two are saying but I'm getting really pissed off…" Rogue clenched her fists. "Do you know how ignorant it is to speak in French when there's someone else in the room who doesn't? Is there something I'm not meant to know about between you two."

"Nothing at all, Rogue," Monet said quietly, "I'll leave you to your discussion."

Monet left, and moments later they heard the sound of her bedroom door closing.

Rogue looked as if she were about to open her mouth, but before she could, Remy made sure he was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry," he said very quickly, he'd had a few seconds to contemplate what Monet had said to him and it seemed to make sense in some strange way. "You're completely right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it, and I was wrong to do that, and it was your business and I know you're quite capable of handling it and even though I only did it because I love you, I know I was completely in the wrong…I'm sorry."

Rogue paused, "I…oh…" she seemed to calm down almost immediately, "okay…" she said a little softer.

"I'm an asshole…" he said, "but I want to make it up to you…" he moved a little closer, "and I will…" he added. He couldn't believe how quickly Rogue had calmed down. All this time could their arguing have simply been avoided if he'd just admitted to his mistakes and taken responsibility instead of making excuses for everything? He suddenly felt rather foolish, and could not believe it had been the advice of a sixteen year old girl that had been able to quickly defuse the situation.

It was then, he thought of something else she'd said, the first thing she'd said when she'd made her presence known. Nothing had been implied in her comment of course, it had just been a general comment. Now, it felt as if that comment couldn't have come at a better time. It was as if right at that moment, as he heard those words she'd spoken replay inside his head, something struck him. It was almost as if the answer had been right in front of him the whole time and it had taken someone else to see it.

Rogue looked at Remy confusedly, he had not spoken for a few moments now, "Is…something wrong?"

"No…everything is really alright…" he assured, "Listen…I really want to make this whole thing up to you, and I have an idea…let's take off for a few days, just the two of us…it'll give us a chance to get together without any interferences of anyone else…"

"I can't," Rogue sighed, "I have obligations. Classes to teach in the Danger room…" she reminded. "And I have training myself to go through."

"Then we'll leave on Friday afternoon after your last teaching session of the week…and I'm sure the professor isn't going to mind if you skip a training session during the weekend," Remy said eagerly.

"It's not the professor I'm worried about, it's Scott," Rogue put her hands on her hips, "he's my team leader…and he's already concerned that I've missed a lot of training because of Carol taking over my body," Rogue reminded sounding a little bitter.

"Look, he's also human, and he knows a human need is to get away and get some rest and relaxation. Just tell him you need to…I don't know…escape so you can repair your relationship with me…he'll buy it, he's in for all that sentimental bullshit. He'll understand."

Rogue paused, "Okay…I'll talk with him."

Remy smiled, "great. I'll go make some calls…"

"Where did you plan on going?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's a surprise."

Translations

1 Monet Says: "Must you both constantly fight like a married couple at every available opportunity?"

2 Monet Says: "You and Rogue would certainly benefit from some relationship counselling, Mr LeBeau. Perhaps you  
could write in to the Dr Phil show?"

3 Remy Says: "If it weren't for the fact that Rogue doesn't understand French, I might consider blowing your  
pretty little head off for being such a smart ass. Thank you for the suggestion, but for now can you leave us alone."

4 Monet Says: "One last thing. Even if you're right, even if what you did to make her mad at you was justifiable, just admit you're wrong. Swallow your pride and just take responsibility."


	3. Chapter 3: I'm Sure We Won't

Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 26

Chapter 3: I'm Sure We Won't

Rogue didn't trust Remy at first when he said it was a surprise, and she knew she had reason to be suspicious because when Remy got an idea, and had a surprise in mind, it usually amounted to some kind of trouble she could do without. And though doubt plagued her mind like a cancer, eating away at whatever trust she had left in him, she let him lead her anyway.

When Friday came, the moment they had met in the foyer of the mansion was when everything started to become rather strange. At first, it sounded ridiculous when he insisted she be both blindfolded and have earmuffs so he could take her to the surprise destination. She'd laughed at the concept, and blurted out the usual string of comments such as 'are you crazy', or 'why do I get the feeling this is going to be something extremely insane?'.

After some coaxing, Remy had managed to get her to put on both earmuffs and blindfold, and lead her into car. The journey seemed terribly bumpy, but she realised this might only be because she now had no sense of vision or sound, and thus any physical jolt seemed so much more intense due to this.

From there, they left the car, and he lead her along a very long stretch of path, and up a steps. She heard nothing except some rather muffled engine noises, and although she still felt rather apprehensive about this, she said nothing and played along.

She was confused, but somewhere deep inside of herself the part of her that loved him dearly told her to just tolerate it, that this was Remy's way of being romantic and that she should not worry about it at all.

Soon, after having spent much time not hearing anything, not seeing anything, and not having felt Remy's presence physically at all, she felt Remy removing her blindfold, and earmuffs, and was now glad that something might come into perspective as to what was going on exactly.

Rogue opened her eyes and it felt almost blurry at first. She looked around to find herself sitting in a very comfortable leather seat, in what at once she realised was a private plane. A bottle of champagne was on ice nearby, and the lights were dimmed considerably. Remy was sitting in a seat opposite, and he was smiling softly.

"Wow…" Rogue blinked, "this…must have cost a bomb."

"Nothing but the best," Remy said with that boyish grin of his as he glanced out of the small oval-shaped window to his right, there was nothing but clouds below, no landscape could be seen far below.

"So…" Rogue watched as he opened the champagne and poured her a flute. She felt very apprehensive now. She certainly wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Dates with Remy in the past had always been rather general. Dinner and a movie, not a weekend away to a surprise location via private plane whilst supping expensive champagne.

"So?" Remy smiled and handed her the flute of champagne.

"Where…are…we headed?" Rogue turned and glanced out of the window anxiously also, but saw no sign of anything that could indicate where they were exactly. She'd lost all concept of time since she'd gone up those steps, which now she realised, must have been the stepway to the plane.

"It's a surprise," Remy touched the side of his own nose to indicate she was being nosy.

Rogue sighed, "Why all this weird secrecy?"

"I don't know, thought it would be romantic," he admitted, and he smiled again, and he looked confident and happy, and she hadn't seen him look so blissful since that one night in the shower on his twenty-first birthday.

"Okay, fine, I'll play along," Rogue smiled a little too, and began to feel herself slipping into the mood of it. After all, like he said, he did want to make up for having done what he did with her bank account. "but I tell you, any funny business and you'll be gettin' kicked squarely in the nuts."

"That's fair," Remy nodded, "but there's nothing funny about this, I promise" he smiled, "I just want this to be a weekend we'll never forget is all."

"Okay," Rogue nodded, and she sipped her champagne. "I'm sure we won't."

Remy leaned back in his own seat, and smiled somewhat to himself, knowing what was a head and deciding she was right. It certainly was something that wouldn't be forgotten in a hurry.

When one of the crew of the plane arrived into the cabin to advise Remy they were approaching their destination, Remy put the earmuffs and the blindfold back on Rogue. Rogue was beginning to feel rather silly – which she expressed to Remy a few times but seemed to get no more response than a soft tickle in the left ribs as he guided her off the plane and into another car.

The drive lasted for what felt like half an hour, although it could have been more, she was unsure. And then there was a walk. She felt the ground change beneath her feet from hard sidewalk to the cushiony texture of soft carpeting under her strappy sandals, and felt cool air conditioning in comparison to the hot exterior she'd felt the moment they had left the plane.

Moments later, they were standing still, Remy still hanging onto her arm, one hand pressed against her back as if to reassure her everything would be alright. She felt the sudden lurch of her stomach and realised they were in an elevator, she only ever felt her stomach lurch quite so much if she took off too quickly into flight with her powers, or if she was sitting on the Blackbird and they were plummeting for a fast landing.

More walking, and then she was standing on her own in a very warm room, and what little light showed through the blindfold she was wearing was very dim. She could not feel Remy's presence near her anymore.

"Remy? Can I take this stupid stuff off now?" she asked, although she didn't expect if he had said yes that she'd hear him reply due to the heavy duty earmuffs, which she was afraid he might have stolen from some poor construction worker who might have been on a lunch break.

Seconds later, she felt him take the earmuffs off again, the rush of sound came back, little things like the ticking of a nearby clock, and the sounds of traffic outside became very alive to her, more than they might have if she'd arrived in the room without anything on her ears at all.

"Where are we?" she asked, she felt him behind her head untying the cotton blindfold. She tried to listen out for any kind of clue, but all she could really notice was traffic, and that could mean they were anywhere.

"You'll see," he said, he sounded excited, like a child on Christmas, and she felt her heart somewhat soar, it was nice to hear him so happy. _Play along_, she thought. _He's been so miserable since joining the X-Men again that he deserves at least a little happiness, and if this whole surprise game is his idea of fun, then just play along_.

When the blindfold came off, she opened her eyes, again, they felt blurry and she had to take some moments to focus on the room around her. She was in a dimly lit room, in fact it was almost like a brown out, no lights on, but a tiny slither of bright light peeked from between the folds of thick velvet drapes in front of her. She glanced around.

It was a hotel suite, she could see now as her eyes adjusted to the light. Two splendid sofas faced each other in the lounge area, and Rogue wandered around a few moments to get used to the surroundings. In the seperate bedroom area, one very large bed – king sized – stood with its expensive art deco headboard against a wall. The rest of the furnishings were so tasteful that Rogue was almost completely mesmerised for one moment. She was sure that whatever she earned a year teaching at Xavier's would not even cover the cost of one of the small bedside cabinets.

"Wow…" she whispered, she wandered into the bathroom and switched on the light, and couldn't help but feel impressed at the black marble suite and the very large sunken tub that matched.

"Like it?" he asked, she felt him touch her back gently, and instantly that uneasy feeling came back to her that she'd been getting every time he touched her. She'd had to tolerate it since the moment he'd put the blindfold on her, but now she felt there was absolutely no need for it, and she drew away.

"So where are we?"

Remy smiled, "c'mon…" he took her gloved hand and led her back to the lounge area eagerly, and then brought her over to the drapes, and he moved over to the curtain pull, "ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose," she said, feeling slightly more apprehensive than before.

The curtains were pulled, and beyond two large glass windows and double patio doors, the light assailed her eyes so badly that she couldn't see anything. But then, once again, everything started to come into focus once again. So many buildings, it seemed almost overflowing with cement, and so many signs of colour and light. Every way she looked she could see the sign 'Casino' and she realised he was right, she definitely was surprised to see this. She'd been here twice, on missions, but had never spent time here on vacation before. She recognised it at once, "Las Vegas?" she turned to him and looked at him with much confusion.

"Gambling, drinking, the shows, the parties," he grinned, "c'mon, this place has everything," he leaned against the wall.

Rogue reached out and opened the patio doors and stepped out onto the balcony, "is this the penthouse?" she asked, she held onto the wall and leaned over a little to gaze down.

"Of course. It's the best," he followed her out onto the balcony, "don't lean over too far, don't wanna fall or anything."

"Like I'm worried," Rogue gave a laugh, "I can fly, it's not like I'll fall on top of that limo down there and right to my death, now, is it?"

Remy smiled a little, "I guess not," he let his arms rest against the wall, "so…what'd you think?"

"I'm surprised," Rogue nodded, "you sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"I know," Remy grinned.

"So what's the plan for tonight, then?" Rogue asked.

"Well, we're going to a wedding," Remy said, and he sucked in a breath, he knew there would be a response, he just wasn't sure what.

"Who's wedding?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Ours."


	4. Chapter 4: What!

Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 26

Chapter 4: WHAT!?

"WHAT?!" was the first thing Rogue demanded as she spun around to Remy. She knew perhaps what he'd said had been some sort of a joke, but if it was, he wasn't laughing.

He remained silent, and gave her a meaningful look that she felt make her tremble inside.

"Okay, that's not funny," she moved away from him, "because you don't look like you're joking. But I know you have to be because…I…I don't know…you just gotta be kidding," she shook her head at him.

"No, I'm not," he sighed, "c'mon, chere, you know how I feel about you…I'd give my life to be with you, and I'd march straight up to an alter and say 'I do' just to prove it…" he was hoping she was going to calm down, he could see her face growing paler by the second and he was sure it wasn't just the harsh Nevada sunlight giving her face that familiar bleached look it used to have in those long gone days when she'd preferred to wear more black than a priest and more eyeliner than Marilyn Manson.

"This isn't funny, Remy…" Rogue frowned, she was sure this was some kind of stupid joke and that they were going to be going out gambling any moment laugh about it somehow later on. "It's sick."

"This isn't MEANT to be funny," Remy said, feeling a little hurt that she would insinuate he'd pull this as a cruel joke, "I'm serious. I want to marry you. There's a limo down there that in two hours is going to drive us to a chapel, I've made all the arrangements, I have the rings, everything. Everything is all planned, and all we have to do is BE there," he said softly.

"But there's one HITCH in your plan, Remy," Rogue headed back into the hotel room, she almost tripped over her and Remy's luggage which had been left stupidly in the middle of the floor.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded as he followed her in.

"I'm NOT marrying you!" she yelled at him, "How fucking stupid do you think I am?! Do you seriously think I'm going to marry you when we can't even get along for one week without a single argument?"

Remy wandered over to where she was standing. "Maybe that's just it. We argue because you don't know I'm committed enough, maybe you don't trust that I love you enough to marry you…" he tried, "maybe this is ALL we need to keep us together, maybe this will be the thing that makes everything alright."

"And what if it doesn't?" Rogue demanded angrily, "what then? What happens when we REALISE it was a dumb idea and just can't make it work? What then? Separation? DIVORCE?!" she demanded, "there's a REASON people stay engaged for a long time before getting married Remy. There's a REASON people LIVE together before getting married."

"Some people just GET married, and they live happily ever after," he said, trying to remain very calm now.

"This isn't a fucking fairytale romance!" Rogue cried at him, "this is my worst nightmare. I'm Nevada and my wedding is all PLANNED for me and I didn't even get a choice about it," she turned to the wall and folded her arms stubbornly.

"I know it's not…ideal…" Remy moved over and put his hands on her arms tenderly.

"Not ideal?" she gave an absurd laugh, "it's so far beyond not ideal that it's insane," she uttered. "I always figured when I got married, the wedding should be in a huge church with the wedding march and Kitty dressed in a horrid frilly pink bridesmaid dress," she mused, "and I'm dressed in this gorgeous cream coloured satin dress with an antique lace veil and my hair up in curls…and the professor would give me away at the alter, and Hank would make speeches at the reception…and everyone would be so happy, and they'd laugh and congratulate me…and there'd be a cake with four tiers and so much champagne I could take a swim in it…"

Remy looked at her, "I can give you all that…we can get married here, now, then later we can make it all formal later, we can put Kitty in an ugly pink frilly dress thing, and you can wear satin cream and have your hair up in curls…and Hank can make speeches and you can swim in champagne…" he murmured desperately.

"No…" Rogue moved away from him and hunched her shoulders, she turned to him and frown, "don't you get it. At any point when I described my dream wedding to you, did you happen to notice YOU were nowhere in the picture?"

Remy fell silent, he hadn't noticed at all, and now that he did, it was worrying him. He wasn't sure what this meant.

"What's the point of marriage, Remy?" Rogue said flatly.

He came up blank at that moment, although before he was sure he had a hundred different ideas of what the point of marriage was exactly.

"You can't come up with one. Jean and Scott – they HAVE a reason they want to get married. They want to live together in the boathouse, they want it to be with gods blessing when they make love…they want to have kids…and grandkids, and a dog, or a cat, or whatever. They want a life."

"I want all that with you," Remy said, "even kids…if it means so much to you," he said, and he meant it. He never wanted to think about having children ever again, but with her, he'd make that sacrifice if it would make her happy…if it would just make her say yes. He knew if he could just get a ring on her finger, there would be nothing to keep them apart.

Remy knew that if he left, and came back, even if he and Rogue had split up over his leaving, Rogue would have to give him another chance. Marriage was sacred, and she'd feel obligated to give him another chance. And he just wanted that tie with her that meant nothing else would ever stop him from being with her. Marriage was the closest he could get to completely being with her. If her powers would stop him from being close to her, and her apprehensiveness every time he touched her, and his stupidity would stop him being with her, and his mistakes, then surely the bonds of marriage could somehow negate everything else.

"You don't want kids," Rogue snorted, "you don't really want to live together in a house with a mortgage and a plasma screen TV like you spoke of months ago…" she sighed. "And I can't even GIVE you half of what you really want, you know that my powers will stop anything..."

"Yes, I do…I realise that…at least for now but we can work through it…and…I still want everything else," Remy sighed, he slipped his hand into the pocket, "this…was going to be my wedding present to you…" he took a piece of folded up paper from his pocket and he handed it to her.

Rogue frowned and unfolded the paper, it was a print out of a suburban house that seemed very familiar. It had large white painted bay windows, and double six panelled doors. The red brick was in perfect condition. There was a lawn surrounding it with shrubs, flowers, and a topiary of a tree that spiralled upwards to a perfect point. It was the kind of house that Rogue felt might have belonged to a character from a situation comedy. She wished she could remember where she'd seen it before, but her mind came up blank. "What is this?"

"I bought it…at the time I brought all the stuff about wanting to take the relationship further…" Remy said softly, "It's in Bayville…ten minutes away from the Xavier estate. "Three bedrooms…two bathrooms," he said, "the kitchen is huge…the dining room is adequate enough for large dinner parties – because I know you'd want to invite everyone over all the time," he gave an ironic smirk, "its…perfect."

"PERFECT?!" Rogue crunched the piece of paper up and threw it at him angrily, "you have all this pretty planned out, don't you!" she growled, "it's like you've planned my entire future for me and I have no say in it whatsoever!"

"Of course you have say in it," Remy dodged the ball of paper despite it wouldn't have caused him any pain, and he tried to move over but she moved away.

"I don't WANT to marry you!" she yelled, "I don't want my wedding to be in an all night chapel with the ceremony performed by a very BAD Elvis impersonator who stops in between our vows to sing 'Love me Tender' and 'Suspicious Minds'!" she stomped her way over to the open patio doors, Remy was sure he heard one of the tiles beneath the plush carpet cracking under her feet as she did so.

"Chere…please, just think about this…"

"I have thought about it!" Rogue stepped out onto the balcony, "I've thought about it and I know it's a bad idea…you're not ready, I'm not ready…and…I don't know, I just don't think it's a good idea if we even SEE each other anymore…"

"Chere, what are you talking about…" he felt as if she might have just slammed her hand through his chest and gripped onto his heart and squeezed it until it ceased to work anymore.

"I'm talking about us being a bad idea," Rogue said, "We have feelings for each other, but it isn't working right…if you can just run and do all this without my say, what ELSE can you do? How can I even think about bein' with you if this is the kind of thing you do? How can I think about BEIN' with you when you've just tried to plan our entire lives together without really DISCUSSING it with me."

"Fine, then lets discuss it," Remy pleaded, "please, Chere, I love you…"

"I don't doubt that you love me," Rogue sighed, "but I doubt that you really understand what relationships are all about, and I doubt that you really understand me…I can't THINK about getting married right now. I'm still trying to get my normal life back in order after the chaos that Carol caused..." she climbed up onto the balcony ledge. "There's stuff Carol did I'm SURE you aren't telling me, and I can't begin to think about relationships or marriage – all I CARE about is getting everything out in the open and getting my life back."

"Where are you goin'?!" Remy asked.

"Back home," Rogue spread her arms about to take off.

Remy knew she was determined to leave, and he needed something that was going to stop her from leaving him there, and soon he realised his mouth was running ahead of his mind, and before he'd properly thought about the consequences, he blurted out the words, "Carol can control your powers."


	5. Chapter 5: Beyond Me

Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 26

Chapter 5: Beyond Me

Rogue stopped there on the ledge, and she lowered her arms slowly, and for moments, Remy thought she might simply step right off the ledge to a horrible death. He knew of course, it wasn't possible that she could do so. She'd fall and land on the concrete and probably put some very big cracks or dents in it, and perhaps end up with a sore backside, but that was it.

Then again…he'd thought it wasn't possible for Carol Danvers to take over nor for her to control Rogue's powers and yet, that had happened also. So if she stepped off was it possible that her powers would negate accidentally and she'd be hurt? Suddenly Remy found himself very afraid for her.

Rogue sucked in a breath, she was pretty sure what he'd just said was that Carol Danvers had been able to control her powers, and yet, it didn't register quite yet. "What?"

"I saw her…" Remy swallowed, "she could touch…touch like everyone else…skin to skin…" he felt his heartbeat beginning to increase, the way Rogue had quickly gone so tense left him feeling very anxious. She was just standing there, her back turned to him, her long brown hair with it's silvery white streak was swaying in a slight wind. He wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be. "I saw it with my own two eyes, Chere..."

"What did you see…?" her voice was cold. It wasn't so much a question as a demand, and the sound of her voice suddenly very much made him fear her.

"I saw her controlling your powers…" Remy trailed off, he then braced himself whatever might come. Rogue gave a strange shudder, as if icy fingertips had just caressed her spine, and he knew what was coming.

Rogue turned around and jumped off the ledge and back onto the patio, "WHAT DID YOU SEE?!" she demanded, and she shoved him, just like she had three days before, in the foyer, he fell back and landed on the floor with a soft thud.

"What I saw isn't important…all that's important is she can control your powers…which means that somehow YOU must be able to do so too…" he pointed out, "so you see…marriage isn't a stupid idea…because…because…" he stammered as he pulled himself nervously to his feet. That look in her eyes was terrifying. "Because we can…we can have all that…it's just gonna take work…"

"WHAT…DID…YOU…FUCKING…SEE?!" she demanded, she grabbed onto the collar of his brown leather jacket and held him up in the air, she shook him and Remy felt a little dizzy as she did so.

"She…" Remy swallowed, "she was making love with some guy…"

"Some guy…" Rogue repeated as she dropped him, and once again he fell back to the floor with a thud. Somehow the words 'making love' and 'some guy' didn't seem as simple as Remy had so innocently put them. There was something else, why did he look so terrified, she wondered. Despite she had just found out somehow that her body had been used in ways she'd never expected, all she could think about at that precise moment was why did Remy look scared of her, and what was it Remy knew that he was hiding.

"Rogue…calm down…" he pulled himself up slowly.

"I will not CALM DOWN," Rogue suddenly burst out, "Who was the guy…how did you see them…what were you doing there…what happened?!" she demanded.

"I won't tell you until you calm down," he tried to be assertive. He couldn't understand how suddenly all the male bravado he'd always had seemed to melt away like splinters of ice and replace itself with a disturbing fear of his own girlfriend.

"Tell me or so help me I'll—" she clenched her fists.

Remy didn't want to find out what she'd do with her clench fists, but he wasn't in the mood to be punched anymore, he'd been punched too much in the last two months already, he wasn't about to take anymore unnecessarily. "She went out clubbing…to Asylum."

The word Asylum made Rogue's throat tighten. She remembered the night she was raped so clearly, and it gave her chills to think of it again as he spoke the name of the club. "Then?" she swallowed.

"I had followed her, I was looking out for you, I was worried…and…she went missing, and I searched and found her in a staff bathroom…"

Rogue sucked in a breath, she remembered it had been the staff bathroom she'd been raped in, she remembered the feel of the cold tiles, and the harsh lighting. She remembered the pain and the tears and falling in and out of conciousness.

"And he was there…" Remy looked away, his heart hurt to even say it.

"Who…?" she asked, but she already knew the answer before the word had even passed her lips. Chills ran up her spine, and somewhere in her own head she could almost see it play out as if it were her own memory. It was like a sudden flashback, and for a moment she could almost see herself in the mirrored wall of the staff bathroom as she was propped up against the sink on the opposite side with the dark haired main who had once raped her moving against her almost desperately. She felt like she might be sick.

Remy couldn't look her in the face, he felt so utterly shamed and disgusted with himself for having not told her before.

"You…you knew about this all this time…" she trailed off, "THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME?!" she picked up a nearby ashtray and hurled it at him, he just barely dodged it, he heard it shatter against the wall behind him and felt the shower of glass splinters.

"I…I…I…" he stammered, "I just didn't want to hurt you…" he tried, and now he couldn't understand why she wanted to hurt him so badly, he had kept the truth from her yes, he had made mistakes, yes, but was there a need for her to be violent towards him? He suddenly wondered how many men in the world fell victim to abusive relationships instead of women. He felt rather foolish thinking this when the subject of the truth about Carol Danvers erotic adventure had just come forward.

"Fat load of use the truth is," she grabbed a nearby vase with fresh flowers in it and hurled it towards him, he just barely caught it, although the water, and the flowers proceeded to spill out onto the carpet. "I'm supposed to be able to trust you!! HOW COULD YOU KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM ME?!" she screamed.

Remy winced, her voice was almost deafening right at that moment, it was so shrill he could barely make out the last few words. "I don't know…I just…I thought I was protecting you…"

"Protecting me?! Protecting me from WHAT?! You must have known Carol did this to get back at me! She knew I'd find out eventually. How could you protect me from this?!" she demanded. "I deserved to know, Remy! It's MY body!"

"I know that…but…I don't know, I just didn't want to see you hurting anymore!" he cried desperately at her.

"Well you won't have to," Rogue headed back towards the patio doors, "In fact, you won't need to see me at all!! Because I'm leaving. And if you're smart you WON'T even TRY to follow me," she said, and although her anger was so blatantly obvious, he could still see the emotion in her eyes as she turned to look at him, he was sure she might start crying. "How you EVER thought I would marry you is beyond me," she said coldly.

"Rogue, I love you…" he said in a pleading voice, he looked at her desperately hoping that his love would be enough to hold her back from leaving.

"Sometimes I wasn't able to sleep at night I loved you so much, and sometimes there were days I couldn't breathe because I wasn't near you…and I thought that was love," she looked at him, "but now I know that ANYTHING I felt for you just probably nothing more than a stupid obsession I've had since I was a kid!"

He felt as if she'd just taken his heart – which had somehow turned to glass within seconds – and stepped on it, crushing the splinters beneath the heel of her platform sandals as easily as she might have crushed that floor tile beneath the carpet. "You don't mean that…" he said, and he hesitated afterwards not sure if that should be all he said.

"Yes I do, Remy…" she looked at him, "I'm sorry…I care for you but…I don't think…after everything…that…I can love you the way I did…not after this, not after all you've done…"

"You told me nothing could screw up our relationship again! You told me I wouldn't screw up our relationship again!" he cried at her hopelessly.

"I was wrong!" Rogue felt a tear slide down her face, "I'm always wrong…and so are you. And every time I consider loving you I let myself fall into one of these traps, and you hurt me again…"

"I don't MEAN to hurt you, I've never meant to hurt you, I'm so in love with you I feel like dying every time I see a single tear roll down your face, Chere…" he said, and he began to feel very choked up and emotional."

"And that's why we shouldn't be together anymore. I can't stand to be lied to, Remy, and that's something you can't not do is lie. And you…you can't stand to see me cry. We can't be together anymore, Remy. We can't."

"You don't mean that, Chere…you don't, I know you love me, I see it in your eyes…" Remy moved closer, he was standing a few inches away from the balcony ledge where Rogue was standing.

"Then don't look in my eyes anymore, Remy. And don't come back to Xaviers."

These were her final words before she took off to the sky in a graceful soar. Her long linen skirt whipping around her legs. She disappeared into the distance, and left Remy standing on the balcony feeling foolish, heartbroken, and alone.


	6. Chapter 6: Our Final Farewell Yet

Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 26

Chapter 6: Our Final Farewell Yet

Kitty Pryde was in the laboratory with Hank McCoy and young Jessie Crowell. Hank had requested Jessie to come down so he could take a blood sample and some DNA samples. He would take DNA samples from every student so he could research them, and see how mutant DNA changed over time. Jessie was the youngest mutant he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting and so he was intrigued to see if her DNA was much different from the older students.

Jessie's unruly blonde hair was tied back from her face, and she looked a little pale, she didn't like the concept of being taken blood from. Her large stormy eyes were filled with panic.

"It won't hurt much," Hank promised softly and he smiled.

Kitty understood that Jessie's panic wasn't so much the needle, but perhaps Hank McCoy's involvement in sticking it into her arm. Jessie hadn't spent much time amongst mutants, and Hank was probably the most mutant any mutant could get. Kitty was sure if Jessie had ever had nightmares of 'the closet monster', it might have been a vision of Hank she'd seen.

"It's okay, Jess, he won't let anything bad happen to you," Kitty smiled. She'd taken quite a shine to the child. The child was stunningly beautiful, so much that whenever she smiled Kitty felt her heart melt.

"Why do I need to do this?" Jessie asked, she was sitting on one of the counters, and her bare scrawny legs were hanging off the side sticking out of ridiculously pink shorts. Jessie was covered in cuts and bruises.

Ever since having arrived to the mansion, and having settled in, she had begun to take an interest in climbing the trees on the estate – or climbing anything for that matter. One day Kitty had searched high and low for the girl to find she'd climbed up one of the eight foot-tall bookcases in the library – and unfortunately couldn't get down again. Kitty was sure when the girl was old enough to enter the danger room, she was going to love it.

"Because we want to know as much about you as possible," Kitty said and grinned brightly to try and cheer the girl up, she watched the needle go into Jessie's arm and she saw Jessie wince and bite her lip, her eyes filling with tears.

Hank finished with taking a blood sample, and he put a child bandaid upon it – one with many different Disney characters just to cheer her up. "There we go," he said, he picked a tissue up from the opposite counter and dabbed the tears which had rolled down Jessie's cheeks, "you're a brave girl," he said, "the bravest I think I've ever met," he added.

Jessie forced a nervous smile.

Kitty looked at Hank, "what tests do you need to do now?"

"Just a few minor DNA tests, none of them will hurt though," he assured, "I just like to compare mutant DNA and watch it change through puberty," he explained, "Jessie is younger than the others, it'll be interesting to see how her DNA develops from now until she's a teenager."

Kitty's cellphone, which was clipped to her hip pocket, began to ring. "Excuse me," she said, "Jessie, I'll be right back for you in a moment, you'll be okay with Hank," she promised, and she picked up her phone, left the room, and hit the answer button. "Hello?"

"It's me…" came Remy's voice, he sounded dry, and almost nonchalant.

"Hey, did you guys get…to wherever you guys were going?" she asked. It was only six hours ago they had left, she'd seen them both leave.

"I guess," Remy said, "Listen…Rogue's on her way back."

"Why?"

"Because me and her had a fight…we broke up," Remy said, and although the emotion was apparent in his voice, he sounded very calm, as if he'd already accepted it and decided not to worry about it any further.

"Not again…" Kitty groaned. "What exactly happened?"

"I'm not in the mood to discuss the whole thing right now…and anyway, I'm sure Rogue will relay the whole thing to you and then you can both discuss what a dipshit I am like always," Remy sighed, "I need you to pass a message on for me…"

"You're not a dipshit…" Kitty said in a low voice, just in case Jessie should overhear from the lab, Kitty felt this language wasn't ideal for a six year old to hear.

"Will you just pass on this message to Psylocke?" Remy asked, sighing even more now, he sounded quite annoyed and fed up.

"Of course…" Kitty trailed off, confused.

"Tell Psylocke I'm ready, and to meet me on the roof of the Excalibur. That's 3850 Las Vegas Boulevard," Remy sighed.

"You're in LAS VEGAS?!" Kitty asked.

"Yes."

"You're not leaving…" Kitty trailed off, suddenly realising that his wanting to meet Betsy in Las Vegas meant that it was time to start the search for Sinister. Kitty felt a lurch in her stomach. All this hard work she'd put in to keep Rogue and Remy together and they were still splitting up? She was wondering if they would ever settle down and just accept things as they were.

"I have stuff to do, Kitty…you know the plan…I need to find Sinister, me and Psylocke did it once before, we can do it again…" Remy replied, "anyway…I'll be back, this isn't over yet. This isn't exactly our final farewell yet," he assured. "I won't be saying any adieus, Kitty."

"So you will be back?"

"Yeah, but I don't know when."

"Why is it so important that you find this Sinister guy, Remy?" Kitty sighed.

"Because of the seven years of hell I've gone through because of him. I know I can't get them back but…I can at least get some kind of revenge…and so can Betsy. Pass on the message to her, and don't worry about me, because I'll be back."

"Remy…please, just come back now, don't go off on this wild goose chase…" Kitty pleaded.

"I have to," Remy said, and he did not even bid her goodbye. Kitty heard silence at the other end, and then realised he had hung up on her.

"Jerk," She muttered under her breath, then somehow feeling bad for even saying it to herself. She knew Remy wasn't a jerk, she knew that he had problems, and that he easily let himself be drawn in to trouble, that was his problem. And that's exactly what this was. This time Betsy had drawn him into trouble.

It was strange that Betsy – along with Bobby Drake – came wandering down the hall at that exact moment, Kitty realised they were probably heading towards the gym, as they were both in workout clothes.

"Betsy," Kitty cleared her throat, "I have a message for you."

Betsy stopped in her tracks and looked straight at Kitty, "you do?"

"Remy says you've to meet him in Las Vegas…at the Excalibur…that's at 385—"

"I know where it is," Betsy said, but smiled, "thank you," she said politely, and she threw a meaningful look towards Bobby.

Kitty slipped back into the laboratory and shut the door behind herself.

Betsy smiled at Bobby, "looks like everything went to plan, then," Betsy said, sure that Kitty was out of earshot now.

"And Rogue will come to me, now, definitely?" Bobby asked.

"With open arms."

Kitty sighed as she entered the lab, and she shut the door, "that was Remy," she said to Hank.

Hank had been teaching Jessie the 'ring of roses' game, and he stopped, "Hmm?" he asked, his indigo eyes curious.

"He's in Las Vegas…and Rogue is coming home…so I don't know what he's done now," Kitty sighed, "and now he's not coming back. Him and Betsy are going to look for this Sinister guy…" Kitty mumbled.

Hank looked at her, "I'm sure he'll be back," he said, he handed Jessie a lollypop from a jar he kept on the counter. Hank had a sweet tooth that he'd never been able to control and he always kept sweet things even in his lab.

Jessie accepted it gratefully and tore the wrapper off.

"Can I go and play now?" Jessie asked, she put the lollypop in her mouth.

"Of course," Kitty said, "c'mon…" she helped Jessie off the counter.

"Kitty, will you come back down and see me once you've taken Jessie up to the main floor? There's something I want to show you…" Hank said.

"Okay," Kitty nodded, she took Jessie's hand and led her all the way through the mansion.

"Who's Remy?" Jessie asked. She'd spent almost a month at the mansion but had never met the man before.

"He's a friend. A good friend," Kitty smiled.

"Who's Rogue?"

"Another good friend," Kitty said. She realised perhaps she shouldn't have talked about the situation in front of Jessie. This was one of those things she would have to learn if she was to be a parent in the future – when to keep quiet and not discuss private things.

When they arrived in the foyer, Kitty let go of Jessie's tiny hand, "now, don't go climbing any trees or anything," Kitty pleaded, "you already have more bruises and cuts than I do – and I'm one of the X-Men," she smirked.

Jessie grinned, "okay," she said happily, and she disappeared off towards the hall that led to the back doors.

Kitty smiled a little, she was enjoying taking care of Jessie, and it was teaching her a lot about parenting. Not that she thought of herself as Jessie's parent or anything, but helping Jessie get dressed for bed, teaching her things, hanging out with her when she wanted to play, had taught Kitty more than she felt she would have learned later in life when her baby was the same age as Jessie. Kitty put her hand to her stomach thoughtfully, and she glanced towards the large mirror on the wall, her stomach had swollen a tiny bit, and she was now almost noticeably pregnant – depending on what she wore.

"Hey, Fetus," she said to her stomach in a kind of whisper, "don't worry, I'll learn to be a half-decent mom, yet."

Kitty smirked at herself, talking to her belly seemed a little silly, but it made her happy all the same. She went back down the elevator, down the hall and into the Laboratory, where Hank was now sitting at the computer, the computer was showing a graphical structure of DNA, Kitty had seen similar structures before when helping Hank with his research.

"So…what'd you want to show me?" Kitty asked eagerly as she wandered over.

"This…this is Jessie's DNA," Hank pointed out, he had a pencil in his hand and he pointed to certain threads of the DNA, "now look at this…" he said, and he typed in a number, and another DNA structure appeared. It was almost identical, there were a few noticeable changes of course, but Kitty understood.

"Wow…a similar match…" Kitty said, "who's DNA is that?" she asked, she put her hands on Hank's shoulders and leaned over his back a little more to inspect closer.

"You're not going to believe, this, Kitty…"

"C'mon, stop keeping me in suspense," Kitty shoved him playfully, "who's DNA?"

Hank sucked in a breath and turned and looked at her very seriously, "Remy LeBeau's."

THE END - (OR IS IT?! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN).

Well, actually, it is the end – of the series. Mwahahah. There WILL be a new series coming later in the year. Anything regarding the series I can't divulge at the moment, but I'm going to try and have the first episode released before hogmanay (New Year). I'm going to take a short break from the story and let you all mull over what you think might happen, hehehe.

Thanks to everyone who's kept up with the entire series. Another 26 episodes down and a lot of you are STILL here. Who'd have guessed I could have written something that you'd all come back and read time after time? I want to thank you all, especially everyone who has reviewed, but I can't remember everyone's names and it would take me weeks to go back and find out everyone's names, but you know who you are and I'm thankful you've read up to this point.

Special thanks to:

Alex (Aro), who takes the time out of her busy schedule to help me work out timelines, and to research on previous episodes. And also, who wrote Hank's speech in chapter 1. She's my special helper, I'd be in a right mess if she wasn't around to keep me right.

Crystelle Johnson, who's translations in French appear in this story – she also has a busy schedule and it was sweet of her to take time out to help me with.

Rogue4787, for all the amazing theories she keeps coming up with (how DOES she do it?!) – it inspires me to try and outsmart her, lol.

Ishandahalf, for bunnies on crack, and every hasty review ever sent!

And thanks everyone else who's name I can't remember (I'm only human).

Hope everyone enjoyed the story and is looking forward to the next series.


End file.
